


the longest, darkest night

by noyabeans (snowdrops)



Series: writing with snowdrops (haikyuu) [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Mythology, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 09:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11438295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans
Summary: And yearn the Darkness did, for the world outside the heavens, for the world beyond the Night - but the Night?The Night only had eyes for the Darkness himself.





	the longest, darkest night

**Author's Note:**

> originally intended for a prompt fill for saso 2017 bonus round 3, but I ended up writing [midwinter](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11437881) instead.

Once upon a time the Darkness and the Night were two entities in a single body, who together governed the skies and watched over the Stars and Moon when the Sun took its daily slumber. But the Darkness was curious, wanting to learn more about the forbidden, dangerous Light that ruled the world when he and his partner returned to the eaves of the celestial stage.

“Don’t you ever wonder-”

“No,” the Night had snapped, as he polished the edges of a young Star that had drifted by to visit. “I do not, and you shouldn’t either. We don’t belong there, _Kuroo_.”

And the Darkness had pouted, lying down across the Night, as though draping himself as a blanket of shadow, but the Night could become no darker, pitch-black as he already was. “You’re no fun, Yakkun.”

The Night had stayed silent, deft hands working at his task, before giving the Star two quick pats on the head and sending him on his way. Then he’d turned back to the Darkness, searching for the familiar warmth, an unspoken question on his lips.

But he needed no words for the Darkness to hear him, because they were one, and the same, and yet not.

 _Am I not enough for you?_ he sighed, a gentle breath, almost sad.

The Darkness had squeezed his hand. _You are enough._ _It’s just -_

“There’s half a world that you haven’t seen,” the Night said dryly; he’d heard those words enough times to recite them unthinking. “And if you go, will you forget me?”

“You of little faith!” the Darkness exclaimed, feigning insult, before his voice softened. “It’s not like I’ll never see you again.”

The Night had bowed his head, opting to let the quiet thrum of his heart fill the silence.

* * *

So the Night had let him go, unable to bear trapping the Darkness by his side while the other yearned for the world. And yearn the Darkness did, for the world outside the heavens, for the world beyond the Night - but the Night? The Night only had eyes for the Darkness himself.

Now free to explore every nook and cranny of the world that had been so far away from him before, the Darkness soon found that the the Sun and its Light were too bright, threatening to drown him out, and so he hid in the corners that they could not reach; and the people called him the Shadow, lurking in the places that few would see and fewer would think to look.

The Night, of course, kept tabs on his whereabouts. Some days, like in summer, when the Night could only stay for a while, he called on the Stars to be his eyes and ears. Other days, like in winter, when his long rule was cold and lonely, he yearned for his partner’s return, trying to reach out his arms to touch the other, but always too far, too far.

Yet he could not bring himself to regret. How could he, when he knew the Darkness was happy?

But on occasion he would grow worried when the Shadow could not be found. Sometimes the Shadow was caught up in the eaves of the forest, visiting the wildlife under canopy covers where no Star could see, other times he was at the bottom of the ocean, far away from any Light, or any Sun.

In the days of such anger, fear and loneliness the Night would call on the Moon for help, to pull the ocean tides until the Shadow was forced ashore, to look at the void above him, howling empty echoes for his return. Other days the Moon would pluck up its courage and stand before the Sun, shielding its Light for the Night to find the hidden Shadow.

And the people worried, wondering at the erraticness of the heavens and fearing the temper of the Night that spread black tendrils across the daytime sky.

The Sun had convened with the Stars and Moon then, and they agreed that it was a problem they had to resolve - if not for the people, then for themselves. They called to the Shadow and the Night, and told them: In the middle of winter when the Night’s reign was longest, he could call the Shadow home; but only for one night, no more and no less, until the day that the Shadow grew weary of the earth and decided to return to his side.

**Author's Note:**

> the longest night of the year is the winter solstice.
> 
> Kuroyaku 黒夜久 in Japanese literally translates into 'long, dark night'.  
> the first character of Kuroo's name, _kuro_ , means dark, while Yaku's name means long night... and therefore, this train wreck was born.
> 
> in case you missed it: **kuroyaku weekend is taking place this august, from august 11 to 14!**  
>  click [here](https://kuroyakuweek.tumblr.com/post/161900841451/kuroyaku-weekend-2017) for more details.
> 
> [tumblr (rielity)](https://rielity.tumblr.com/) | [twitter (noyabeans)](https://twitter.com/noyabeans) | [haikyuu writing journal](https://noyabeans.dreamwidth.org/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [midwinter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11437881) by [noyabeans (snowdrops)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans)




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